The Visitor

Meet Raven. She belongs to our new friends, Todd and Eileen and we're puppysitting her for the month. This little girl was being stuffed into a bag full of rocks and was about to be tossed into the ocean when she was rescued. Had her saviour been a minute or two late, she would have drown.

If the rest of the world clued into the animal cruelty up here, I bet there would be a revolt. I've seen dogs who are tied to a tree for their entire lives. Apparently, when the dog dies, it's untied and a new dog is tied to the tree in its place. There it sits, enduring the elements, slowly losing its mind. Some sled dogs seem to be tied to their houses from April to October, rarely, if ever, coming off for exercise. It's heart breaking.

Raven is a wonderful little dog. She's intelligent and responsive. Todd and Eileen have done wonders trying to undo some of the damage that's been done to her. Hunter and I are building on their work. For example, every time we pass her, we very loudly tell her she's a good dog and pick her up. It took her a week to stop peeing when we took her in our arms. It took another week for her to relax. Last night, she fell asleep in my lap.